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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. chip — for betting
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. net — after costs
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. spell — letters
  8. sharp — clever
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rest — what's left
  11. spell — magic
  12. net — in sport
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. spell — a short time
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. chip — to eat
  18. cell — in biology
  19. rest — a break
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. net — for catching
  22. rash — a series
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. cell — a phone

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com